


I Just Wish...

by Ghostinthehouse



Series: Demon and Angel Professors [109]
Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Professors, Aromantic, Aromantic Crowley (Good Omens), Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Disabled Crowley (Good Omens), Gen, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25635868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostinthehouse/pseuds/Ghostinthehouse
Summary: When Dr Fell happened to let drop that his birthday was so close to Dear Anthony's that they usually had a joint celebration, it seemed as if it was a completely random aside
Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens)
Series: Demon and Angel Professors [109]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1412962
Comments: 36
Kudos: 921
Collections: Aspec-friendly Good Omens





	I Just Wish...

When Dr Fell happened to let drop that his birthday was so close to Dear Anthony's that they usually had a joint celebration, it seemed as if it was a completely random aside tossed in between a reference to Hamlet (They had watched it one year, it was Dr Fell's favourite Shakespeare, but Dear Anthony preferred the funny ones) and another to A Tale of Two Cities (When Marie Antoinette said 'let them eat cake', she didn't mean birthday cake, that was Dear Anthony's little joke).

One of the students, braver (or more desperate to distract Dr Fell from an assignment that hadn't been done) dared to ask when Dr Fell's birthday was, since he had brought it up, and discovered it was in late October - very soon in fact.

The rumour mill latched onto that fact with a seething vengeance, sure that it knew who both halves of this particular birthday equation were. Kane, along with many others, found plans and suggestions for birthday cards, cakes, and small gifts circling among the students like sharks just waiting to latch onto anyone who even so much as hinted that they'd be able to do something.

For Kane, who had never yet been able to have a birthday under his real name and gender, all the talk of this one grated on a place he hadn't realised was quite so raw. He took to slipping away to places where he didn't have to listen to people blithely assuming that birthdays and parties were, and always had been, wonderful things instead of times where everything was geared to tell you that you weren't what they wanted you to be.

He was slouched on a bench by the duck pond when someone slid onto the other end of the bench. He glanced that way, saw Dr Crowley's sharp-edged profile, and froze. He couldn't exactly tell a professor - especially not one said to be so vicious - to go away and leave him in peace.

Dr Crowley didn't press though, nor did he bring up birthdays. He just produced a small bag of peas from somewhere and tossed them one by one at the ducks.

The professor wasn't much good at aiming, Kane decided, seeing the peas bounce off the ducks' backs and bills instead of landing in the water where they could be eaten. He hunched deeper into his loose hoodie and tucked his head down, only to find the bag thrust under his nose.

"You feeding them, or just sitting?" Dr Crowley asked, hardly seeming to glance Kane's way, though it was hard to tell with the dark glasses he wore.

Kane shrugged, and took a few peas. "Hiding," he muttered, flicking one of them towards the ducks. It landed in the water and started a ripple.

"Oh?"

"Tired of hearing the same thing all the time." Kane risked another glance, and caught the slightest flicker of a smile on the man's face. It startled the next words from his mouth. "I just wish-"

"Brings back bad memories does it? All this talk of birthday parties?"

He got it. The tension leaked out of Kane in a long sigh. "Yeah. Aunt Lil says we'll do something to make up for it on my next birthday, but it's hard, listening. My parents..." He swallowed. "They always wanted me to be a belle of the ball."

"You prefer Prince Charming?"

"No," Kane snapped, " _he's_ expected to fall in love too."

Dr Crowley turned and looked at him properly. "You're aromantic."

Kane gaped. "I- Yes- How d'you-"

Dr Crowley shifted uneasily, stretching out a lanky leg. "Solidarity. Us queer folk know each other."

He sounded so like Aunt Lil, that Kane grinned openly. "Aunt Lil says she and I aren't the black sheep of the family, we're the rainbow sheep, because we're the queer ones."

"There you go then." Dr Crowley scattered the last few peas on the pond with a sharp flick of his wrist, pushed himself up, and sauntered away.


End file.
